TNT NBA Analyst Does a Double Take When Learning That CNN Broke a Major NBA Story … But Did They?
CNN breaking the biggest NBA news of the day on Tuesday was so unexpected that a host on one of their own sister networks was surprised to hear it.
On Tuesday afternoon, the NBA was rocked by the news that the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin. While reporting on it, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski also revealed that Doc Rivers was identified as a top candidate to fill the vacancy. Rivers, who’s currently a color commentator for ESPN, was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Later that night, CNN broke the news that the Bucks had indeed hired Rivers. Adam Lefkoe shared CNN’s report on TNT’s Inside the NBA.
“This is a coach that has won a world championship,” Lefkoe said. “This is a coach that, when they announced the top 75 players of all time, was named as a top 15 coach of all time; and I also wanna say his jersey is in the rafters out there in Milwaukee as a player with Marquette.
“So he, according to The Athletic, was an advisor toward Adrian Griffin after the in-season tournament. Now, [he’s] being brought on as the coach, this according to CNN.”
The report threw off analyst Jamal Crawford, who immediately did a double take and responded with, “CNN?!”
“CNN,” Lefkoe confirmed to his stunned colleague.
As the night went on, however, it seemed the suspicion was warranted. Despite CNN breaking the news, no other network was able to confirm it. Top insiders, including Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, also didn’t confirm the report. Even TNT’s own insider Chris Haynes revealed Rivers hadn’t yet been officially hired. Making matters worse was the fact that Haynes tweeted his report at the exact same time Lefkoe was on TV saying the opposite.
Milwaukee Bucks and Doc Rivers continue to work towards a deal that will make him the franchise’s next head coach, but there is no agreement in place as of now, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 24, 2024
In a lengthy Twitter thread, New York Times reporter Kevin Draper shared his theory on what happened. He hypothesized that someone at NBA TV pre-wrote the news of Rivers’ hiring. CNN was attributed to the report under the assumption that someone would break the news and then CNN would confirm it. Then, the report was read on air prematurely and picked up by TNT.
An NBA TV scriptwriter pre-wrote a news item about Milwaukee hiring Doc Rivers, assuming someone else would break it first and CNN would then confirm it. Somehow, this gets read on-air at NBA TV an hour ago. pic.twitter.com/7swEyuTrYY
— Kevin Draper (@kevinmdraper) January 24, 2024
In a statement to Draper, a CNN spokesperson said, “CNN reported the news and it went through our editorial process.” But as of Wednesday morning, the Bucks have not yet announced a coaching hire.
Watch above via TNT
